googling THAT led me to believe something was wrong with the JCE policy files, so i go and try to run them: Failed to load Main-Class manifest attribute from C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\lib\security/local_policy.jar

i can open them up with 7zip and extract the files, but again, that does nothing

long story short, i have little to no idea what is wrong here, if anyone could shed some light it would be extremely helpful

Due to import control restrictions, the version of JCE policy files that
are bundled in the JDK(TM) 6 environment allow "strong" but limited
cryptography to be used. This download bundle (the one including this
README file) provides "unlimited strength" policy files which contain
no restrictions on cryptographic strengths.

Please note that this download file does NOT contain any encryption
functionality since such functionality is supported in Sun's JDK 6.
Thus, this installation applies only to Sun's JDK 6, and assumes
that the JDK 6 is already installed.

JCE for JDK 6 has been through the U.S. export review process.
The JCE framework, along with the SunJCE provider that comes
standard with it, is exportable.

The JCE architecture allows flexible cryptographic strength
to be configured via jurisdiction policy files. Due to the
import restrictions of some countries, the jurisdiction policy
files distributed with the JDK 6 software have built-in
restrictions on available cryptographic strength. The jurisdiction
policy files in this download bundle (the bundle including this
README file) contain no restrictions on cryptographic strengths.
This is appropriate for most countries. Framework vendors can
create download bundles that include jurisdiction policy files
that specify cryptographic restrictions appropriate for countries
whose governments mandate restrictions. Users in those countries
can download an appropriate bundle, and the JCE framework will
enforce the specified restrictions.

You are advised to consult your export/import control counsel or
attorney to determine the exact requirements.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where To Find Documentation
----------------------------------------------------------------------

o Unix (Solaris/Linux) and Win32 use different pathname separators, so
please use the appropriate one ("\", "/") for your
environment.

o <java-home> refers to the directory where the Java SE Runtime
Environment (JRE) was installed. It is determined based on whether
you are running JCE on a JRE with or without the JDK installed. The
JDK contains the JRE, but at a different level in the file
hierarchy. For example, if the JDK is installed in
/home/user1/jdk1.6.0 on Unix or in C:\jdk1.6.0 on Win32, then
<java-home> is

/home/user1/jdk1.6.0/jre [Unix]
C:\jdk1.6.0\jre [Win32]

If on the other hand the JRE is installed in /home/user1/jre1.6.0
on Unix or in C:\jre1.6.0 on Win32, and the JDK is not
installed, then <java-home> is

/home/user1/jre1.6.0 [Unix]
C:\jre1.6.0 [Win32]

o On Win32, for each JDK installation, there may be an additional
JRE installed under the "Program Files" directory. Please make
sure that you install the unlimited strength policy JAR files
for all JREs that you plan to use.

Here are the installation instruction:

1) Download the unlimited strength JCE policy files.

2) Uncompress and extract the downloaded file.

This will create a subdirectory called jce.
This directory contains the following files:

To utilize the encryption/decryption functionalities of
the JCE framework without any limitation, first make a copy of
the original JCE policy files (US_export_policy.jar and
local_policy.jar in the standard place for JCE
jurisdiction policy JAR files) in case you later decide
to revert to these "strong" versions. Then replace the strong
policy files with the unlimited strength versions extracted in the
previous step.

o The Java Developer Connection(SM) forums. These discussion forums
allow you to tap into the experience of other users, ask
questions, or offer tips to others on a variety of Java-related
topics including JCE. There is no fee to participate.

Please be aware that we may be barred from offering technical support
specifically regarding encryption implementations of the JCE APIs to
people outside the U.S. or Canada, according to U.S. regulations.

The above mailing list is not a subscription list or a support
mechanism. It is simply a one-way channel that you can use to
send comments to the Java Standard Edition security team.
Please include the keyword "JAVASEC" in the Subject of your
email so it can be distinguished from spam.

Though we value your input, before sending your feedback please review
our pages of Frequently Asked Questions, available from the JCE web
site:

well this is for a class that i have to take as a networking major, programming isnt something i ever really wanted to get into and i dont use much of it outside of scripting...though i am interested in learning, i dont have much choice of what to learn as far as this class is concerned

Another thought. If DesEncrypter is your program. Check that all the catch blocks have a printStackTrace() call in them. The output from the program execution is not from printStackTrace. What you posted only displayed the text of the message and not all the rest of the info you get.